Last Retreat Report

I was really glad to be invited to this retreat.  I had heard about Red Rooster Retreat and was anxious to see it.  It's perfect for just about any kind of group.

It's in a beautiful area right on Smith Lake near Crane, Alabama. 

They can sleep up to 23 guests and all the beds had quilts on them.  In fact there were quilts just about everywhere.

The sewing room was a great space with a nice sitting area next to it.  

The meals were really delicious.  A varied menu with everything freshly made and great desserts.  (I decided ahead of time to not eat desserts that week, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings!)


It was a good week.  I got some sewing done and made some new friends.  Well worth it, I'd say!  

More Retreat Projects

I got three pillowcases finished for St. Louis Children's Hospital!  

I am only 10 away from my goal of 50 for my self imposed June deadline.  I really like these.  (I just realized that I say that every time I make pillowcases!  LOL)  I bought the fabric for the two on the left at a quilt shop in Florida on our vacation in March, and the other fabric I bought here at Quilter's Combo.    

After I got the pillowcases finished I dug into my box of 2 inch squares and stitched together a bunch of scrappy 16-Patch blocks.  

Not sure yet what I'm going to do with these, but I have a lot of ideas!

Retreat Projects

The Moda Jelly Roll I threw into my retreat bag at the last minute was Basic Grey Urban Couture.  My friend Rose Mary had given this to me, too.  (She is too good to me!)  

I found a pattern I wanted to use in Diane's magazine, the Spring 2013 issue of Quilting Quickly.

Fortunately I like to make a single block when I start a new pattern instead of chain piecing the whole thing.  I would have ruined every single block if I had chain pieced.  There is a mistake in the pattern!  

Instead of the pieces looking like they show in the pattern....... 

......they are really supposed to look like this.

Otherwise the stars don't turn out right.

Once that was straightened out I made blocks until I ran out of muslin.

Then I got out the pillowcases and started on them..........

A Close Call

I was all packed and ready to leave for Retreat on Monday morning.  I hadn't really taken as much time to plan projects as I normally do, but I was satisfied with the main idea -- a baby quilt made with really bright solids and a bright white background.  

I had this stack of half yards of Marcus Fabrics which I had purchased at a quilt show.......

.......and this stack of brights that my friend Rose Mary had given me when she was my Secret Quilter.

What gorgeous colors!  I was a happy girl!!

But not for long.  I am normally not a pre-washer, but I got to thinking about how this quilt would be totally ruined if these colors happen to bleed onto that white background.  I had to leave the house pretty soon so I didn't have enough time to properly test the fabrics.  I just chose one from each line, wet the ends with hot water, and laid them out on a paper towel.  

YIKES!

The aqua didn't bleed as badly as the pink, but it did bleed, and there was no time left to set the colors.  

I needed to leave the house in just a few minutes and I only had three pillowcases packed to work on.

I ran into my sewing room, grabbed a Moda Jelly Roll, a stack of muslin, and a box of 2" squares, then threw them into my tote bag with no plan whatsoever and hit the road!

Whew! 

(.......to be continued.......)

A NewFo Finish -- March Pillowcases Done!

I got into my sewing room this week and finished the ten pillowcases that I had cut out for my March NewFo.  I am back on track with my pillowcase project and almost caught up with my goal of making 50 for an early June deadline. 

 

Aren't these pretty fabrics?  I've been trying to make some of the pillowcases appropriate for teenagers since there are plenty of teen patients in childrens' hospitals.  I think someone will like these a lot.  

These are good for teens, too.  I especially like the blue one with the musical instruments.  

I hate to tell you how long ago I bought these florals.  I'm pretty sure it was around 2004.  I bought them from the famous "back room" at Hancocks of Paducah during Quilt Show Week.  I can't imagine how many pieces of bargain priced yard cuts are bought from that back room, thrown into stashes, and never looked at again.  Would you believe these three pieces are the only pieces I have done that exact thing with?  You're right.  Don't believe it!

My New Project for March -- Pillowcases

This whole "starting a new project every month" is NOT going as I planned!  I was certain I could start and finish a new project every month plus make progress on my UFO's.  What was I thinking?  I went into this 2013 NewFo Challenge with a pretty high opinion of myself, I guess.  Now.......not so much!  

So far, I have at least made a good start on New Projects.  In January I started and then made good progress on Gavin's Quilt.  In February I started and made some progress on my Neutrals Challenge.  

In March I cut out pillowcases.  Yup.  That's it.  I don't know if that even counts as starting a new project!

It really did take a lot of time to select and cut fabrics for all those pillowcases.  And, I did take them with me  on vacation just in case I needed something to do.  And, it was a real effort to unfold them and take photos for this blog entry.  That should count for something.  Do I get points because these pillowcases are eventually going to St. Louis Children's Hospital?  

I am linking up to Barbara's Linky Party.  Then I'm going to see if anyone else is doing as badly as I am!